Anyone work at a course or resort?

I work VERY part time as a caddie at one of the courses here in town (I have a regular full time job during the week & I caddie for a day on the weekends) ... so I don't know if I "qualify" for working at a course or resort.

The benefits we get are free golf on Mondays (if there are no corporate events going on), discounted merch in the golf shop, and new this year are discounted group lessons from the caddie master/assistant golf pro.  There's also an end-of-year caddie tournament & dinner, where they hand out awards for different caddie accomplishments throughout the year.

I had wondered what it would be like to be a course professional, and I actually got to chat with a couple of people about it last night.  One was our caddie master who explained that he works 6 full days a week from spring to fall.  Then works like 5.5 full days during the winter break.  VERY LITTLE time to golf!  He told me he was hoping to get more time to play this year, but usually he doesn't get much time at all.

The other guy was a caddie who had started out working towards becoming a course pro back in the day, but quickly figured out that the caddies at his course in Southern California made over twice as much money as he was making in the golf shop folding shirts & taking tee times.  So he switched to being a full time caddie & has been doing it for about 8 years.  I wish I had more time to chat with him & get more information from him on being a full time caddie (I might like to explore that type of career change!), but we didn't get a chance to chat for very long.

I worked at a private Country Club / Condo Housing unit for 5 years would up Co-Asst Greens Keeper at the end. Me and 2 of my HS buddies started their around sophomore year and worked there during the golfing season for the next 5 years.

I was on greens crew (though one summer I worked with condo-maintenance due to budget) perks were free golf whenever and access to the proshop w/ 0 markup.

To me though the biggest take away was the great times and connections I made with the people there. I hope you'll find working on a course as enjoyable as I did. I learned many really cool skills that I still mention in job interviews to this day (even though I am a Business Analyst) things from operatinga  heavy lifter, tractor, greens mower, vehicle maintenance etc... All great life skills to have obtained.

My boss one of  the best men I ever known was considering retiring during our last year and offered me and one of my freinds the title of GreensKeeper next year if we wanted it. We declined as we were in college for other activities but I could've become a full paid greenskeeper that next summer. I dont know if Ill regret turning it down or not but, ill never regret working on a golf course.

benefits: free golf anytime

I loved working at the course. found a new sport to play that I never would of played before. and will play for the rest of my life.

Why go to school for Golf Management? You're where you need to be now. Just put in your 3 months, take that PAT and get yourself going through "the program" while working at the club. If this is a private club, I bet the head pro will even talk up some members to help finance the whole thing.

Are these local clubs Barton Creek by any chance?

I work at a club, have been in the golf shop for 7 years now. Its so great. best job I've ever had! Thankfully my boss is very accommodating about play. I have the run of the place. Except during peak hours on the weekends, I'm working anyways. I practically have a membership to the club just by working there. Aside from golf I can use the Tennis courts, swimming pool and gym. Its great!

The Golf Management schools may be overrated. But if you get a college degree in business or maybe psychology, this would give you skills useful in the management and teaching end of the golf business.

If you develop skills in inventory management, purchasing, and events planning, this increases your value to the golf course where you work. Head pros have a long work week even at fancy clubs, so an employee who can help with the paperwork and logistics stuff makes their job easier.

Good luck and have fun!

Quote:

Originally Posted by WUTiger 

The Golf Management schools may be overrated. But if you get a college degree in business or maybe psychology, this would give you skills useful in the management and teaching end of the golf business.

 

If you develop skills in inventory management, purchasing, and events planning, this increases your value to the golf course where you work. Head pros have a long work week even at fancy clubs, so an employee who can help with the paperwork and logistics stuff makes their job easier.

 

Good luck and have fun!

That's really good advice
 

I've been working at a course for 3 years now. It's a blast to work there to be honest. I pretty have been the assistant GM for the past 6 months as well. It's a real easy job if you learn quickly. Set up tournaments, handle inventory and merchandise, scheduling, etc. The biggest key is to always listen to the customer. No matter how dumb they are, listen and help them. Show initiative around your boss and he will quickly realize you are a good employee. Working at a golf course isn't like working anywhere else. It's very laid back and quite frankly, it's just a fun experience really.

I get free golf plus discounts on anything golf I want. In addition, I've made connections with hundreds of people for future employment and for other golf courses so I can go play any course in the area (public or private) for free or damn cheap.

I would LOVE to work at a course or club resort. I have a Bachelor's in Business Admin, and I'm currently doing sales.  I was thinking about moving to Orlando, trying to get in at one of the Disney golf courses, or at Reunion Resort where Annika's school is.  I just don't think I have a chance without any prior experience at a golf course.  I can always start at the bottom and work up :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaragon126 

Question for Yanks & Ben,
Do you guys get to play alot of golf? I spoke with the Golf Pro at the course I caddie at, and he RARELY gets to play golf at all (maybe 1-2 times a month) because of the busy work schedule.

I play 1-2 rounds a week right now working 25 hours a week plus going to school full time. During the summer I'll work 40 hours a week and play 4-5 rounds a week easy. Play at the crack of dawn and work at noon until close then repeat. My boss at the course plays at least 5 rounds of golf a week as well. It's a laid back atmosphere at my course though so it really might be different at other courses but that's my experience. 

This will be my second summer at Ashburn GC in Halifax, Nova Scotia, It's a private course, just basically take care of members clubs, carts, etc. Get to golf any time after 2:00, though this summer I'm not sure how much I'll get in, going to be doing a 6 course workload at University, while working on the weekends, so hopefully I can still get at least 1 round in per week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaragon126 

Question for Yanks & Ben,
Do you guys get to play alot of golf? I spoke with the Golf Pro at the course I caddie at, and he RARELY gets to play golf at all (maybe 1-2 times a month) because of the busy work schedule.

The Head Pro (or GM) gig is definitely not the way to go if you are looking to play a lot. My Head Pro plays maybe twice a month. Burn. I on the other hand, play practically everyday...!

I coach our high school golf team but I work very closely with our golf pro when he does clinics with kids. I also drive a lot of business to the course so I get a free membership since I'm the coach and they treat me REALLY well since I drive so much business to the course. I get employee discounts basically. SO I don't officially work but I'm there and do so much to help out I get treated as one...good deal :)